Given the vast amount of digital information available today, computer users are increasingly utilizing search techniques to locate specific information and documents. It is now common for individual websites and application programs to provide a search box so that users can run queries for content on that web site or within that application. Similarly, desktop search techniques allow a user to search for information and documents stored on his or her computer.
An effective search engine is particularly useful when searching a large collection of information, such as the Internet or the World Wide Web. Search engine providers typically present users with an input box for typing in a search query. After the user has typed in his or her query, the search engine processes the query and displays search results to the user that correspond to the search engine's interpretation or restatement of the user's query. However, the search engine typically does not display its interpretation of the search query to the user. Consequently, a user dissatisfied with the search results may submit a different query that is informed by the displayed results from the prior search but without the benefit of the search engine's interpretation of the user's original query. Some search engines offer an “advanced search” option for those users who want to build a more complex search query. However, these advanced search options typically either require the user to be familiar with an advanced query syntax or require the user to fill out a form including a number of checkboxes, dropdown menus and/or fields.
Despite significant advances in search technology, many users still do not understand why correct search results are not returned whenever they type keywords into a search box. If the search query interpretation of the user's search query is not displayed to the user, then the user must resort to trial-and-error to improve the quality of the search results. Even where the search query interpretation is surfaced to the user, that interpretation is typically displayed in a piecemeal fashion utilizing multiple checkboxes, dropdown menus and/or fields. Such excessive use of screen real estate is confusing to users and disfavored by applications, such as media players, that provide a search box but are primarily used for another purpose.
Graphical user interface (GUI) applications perform well in most tasks, in part, because the GUI provides options which relate directly to functionality available within an application and from which the user may select what he/she wants to do. However, GUI applications can sometimes be difficult to use. For example, in some instances, the functionality requires opening many sub-dialog boxes, which may not be intuitive for a user. Additionally, many steps may be required to fill in the GUI elements with the proper information. GUI elements may include pull down or pop up menus, check boxes, radio buttons, text or other types of data input fields, and so on. Moreover, the user may not know where to find available options within the GUI. With small devices (such as hand-held devices, personal digital assistants, wireless phones with networking capabilities, and so on), entry of the information into the GUI may be difficult. Finally, handicapped individuals may have difficulty navigating and completing a GUI form, for example.
To overcome some of the limitations associated with GUIs, natural language (NL) applications have been developed, which can allow a user to easily express concepts that would be fairly complex in a GUI. For example, in natural language, a user may request “Find all emails to Bill that I sent last week”, “Change the screen resolution to 1280.times.1024”, “where is the web page about Microsoft Corporation”, “Please delete all unread emails”, and so on. Each such utterance is readily understandable, but may add multiple layers of complexity in completing a GUI form.
However, there are some problems with NL applications, such as discoverability, confusion, dead-end, and training problems. Discoverability refers to situations where the user is unaware of what he/she can do in the program. Confusion refers to problems that arise when users do not understand how the application interpreted a particular text input. A dead-end refers to a situation where the software program provides no option or mechanism for the user to alter what he/she intended. Finally, there is no mechanism to train the user how to utilize NL input.